Transmission of data via communication devices, such as, for example, cellular phones, and communication networks such as Internet are generally known.
In recent days, users are constantly bombarded with marketing and advertising related information and the increased proliferation of direct marketing and spam have lead to increased discontent and distrust by consumers as to the benefit of marketing communications. Recent studies show that many consumers would prefer to stop or block receiving such marketing and advertising related information and feel that such information has very little relevance for them. Part of the reason for such consumer attitude can be that dialogue between organizations and consumers has been primarily in one direction (e.g., from organizations to consumers). Consumers lack tools to better control and interact with marketing and advertisement messages presented to them. Also, the consumers are not presented with options to inquire, in real-time, about the information content they are interested in.
Moreover, organizations are also under increased pressure to clarify how marketing and advertising contribute to their profits to increase the bottom line. Tools that allow organizations to better monitor the impact of the marketing and advertising communications would be increasingly necessary.
Thus, a new tool that allows consumers to perform better management and control of the marketing and information laden environments that surround them while simultaneously providing the organizations an improved ability to monitor the effectiveness of their communications programs can lead to more effective communications with the consumers. Such tools can also improve the efficiency of the organizations and provide a better ability to quickly match the demands of the users with the industry supply.
Attempts to solve the above-noted problems have not been effective. Using presently available systems, it can be difficult for users to conveniently inquire about information regarding the content of a distributed media at a point of original contact (e.g., using a portable communications device in real-time). U.S. Pat. No. 6,490,432 to Wegener et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,389,457 to Lazaridis et al. generally disclose various ways of forwarding information to users, the entire contents of such patents are incorporated by reference in this patent. Current use of communication devices can be restrictive due to the presence of long alphabetical strings representing data that is distributed over the communication networks. Furthermore, reading comprehensive text on small display screens, such as those on portable communication devices (e.g., cellular phones, PDAs, etc.) can be difficult.
Additionally, people under time constraints may not be well situated to read the information at an exact time when they desire the information. Further, the rich-media capability and interactivity typically available on personal computers is limited on portable communication devices, thereby limiting user experience. Also, there appears to be no system that allows consumers to personally store, manage, and manipulate their points of original contact with various forms of information in a user customized format that is accessible from any network-connected device.
Accordingly, systems and methods are needed to enable users to quickly inquire about information regarding the content of distributed media at the point of original contact while overcoming at least the above-noted problems. Systems and methods are also needed for organizations to directly and easily determine the effectiveness of their communication campaigns in real-time.